Luca Parmitano, one of the most famous Italian astronauts in the world, turns 50. Born on September 27, 1976, for half a century he achieves another success: pilot of the Artemis III crew, the program that paves the way for man's return to the Moon. Lord of "space" records, he also carries out extensive scientific dissemination activities on everything related to astrophysics.
Who is Luca Parmitano
Luca Parmitano was born in Paternò, Sicily. He graduated from the "Galileo Galilei" scientific high school in Catania in 1995, and attended his fourth year abroad in the United States, in California, thanks to a scholarship offered by Intercultura. In the same year he entered the Air Force with the Sparviero IV course attended at the Pozzuoli Air Force Academy. He then graduated in Political Science at the University of Naples in 1999 and two years later finished basic training with the U.S. Air Force at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas. Once he became a pilot, Parmitano was assigned to the AMX with the 13th Group in Amendola, from 2001 to 2007. During this period, he obtained all the qualifications with that aircraft, including Combat Ready, Four Ship Leader and Mission Commander/Package Leader. After obtaining numerous other certifications and gaining experience in the Air Force, in July 2009 he obtained a master's degree in Experimental Flight Engineering from the Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space in Toulouse, France. In the same year he was selected as an ESA astronaut.
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Luca Parmitano's experience in space
Early in his career as an astronaut, Luca Parmitano was included in the reserve crew of the Expedition 34 mission, and finally selected as a flight engineer for the Expedition 36 and Expedition 37 missions. On May 28, 2013, he departed on the Soyuz TMA-09M from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, towards the International Space Station. This was his first trip to space, where he remained until November. The mission involved Parmitano's participation in at least two spacewalks: the first, on 9 July 2013, lasted 6 hours and 7 minutes, while the second, on 16 July 2013, was interrupted due to a technical problem that seriously endangered Parmitano's life. The inside of the suit case he was wearing filled with water causing the astronaut difficulty seeing and breathing. By keeping his nerve and with extreme caution, Parmitano managed to re-enter the International Space Station safe and sound. In 2019, the Italian astronaut returned to space, also taking on the role of commander of the ISS. In 2027 Parmitano will return to a space rocket as pilot of Artemis III. Colonel of the Air Force, he has accumulated more than 2,000 flight hours, qualified on over 20 types of military aircraft and helicopters and has flown on over 40 different types of aircraft.
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Luca Parmitano's records
As regards experience in space, Luca Parmitano can be defined as the Italian with records. In 2013 he was the first astronaut from our country to carry out extravehicular activities. Five years later he was the first Italian to hold the role of commander of the International Space Station and third among those of ESA. On 25 January 2020, during a delicate operation to repair the AMS, he surpassed the European record for cumulative extravehicular permanence (EVA) previously held by his Swedish colleague Christer Fuglesang, with 31 hours and 54 minutes.
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Curiosities about Luca Parmitano
In addition to being an astronaut, Luca Parmitano carries out extensive dissemination activities by participating in festivals, television programs and writing books on the topic such as Volare. 166 days with @astro_luca, Flying. Space and other challenges and the more recent Walking among the stars, a text aimed at younger people that talks about his experiences as an astronaut and aims to provide teenagers with a map, to intrigue them about science and light the spark that will make them start a journey in this field. In 2017, the asteroid 37627 Lucaparmitano was dedicated to the Italian astronaut. He has a passion for classical guitar and different types of sports including cycling, weightlifting, swimming and diving. Parmitano was also awarded two honorary degrees: in Economics and Management from LUISS and in Sciences and Logistics of Maritime and Air Transport from the University of Messina. He received the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal and the NASA Space Flight Medal and was also named Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. In addition to the serious accident in space, Parmitano risked his life even when he was a young pilot. In 2005, during a course in Belgium, the then captain crashed his AMX into a large bird while flying over the English Channel. Through the study of the feathers that remained stuck in the plane it was discovered that the captain collided with a stork. He found himself with the animal's entrails on him and the instruments destroyed, but he still managed to land the plane. For the accident in Belgium he was decorated by the President of the Republic with the Silver Medal for aeronautical valor in 2007. Regarding these dangerous accidents, Parmitano said that the antidote to fear is knowledge, the more you know, the more you are able to react to situations, even those in which your life is at risk.
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The private side and Parmitano's thoughts
From a private point of view, the astronaut was first married to Kathy Dillow, with whom he had two daughters, Sara and Maia, then in 2023 he married Marta Guidarelli. When asked about his typical day when he is at work in Houston, Parmitano revealed that his main thought is "trying to get home so I can prepare dinner for my daughters. For them I am not an astronaut, I am a dad. They are not interested in anything that I can go back to space: they are interested in dinner like all teenagers". Regarding his stay on the ISS, in an interview he said that "the most magical aspect of space is that everything has an extra dimension, an indescribable beauty, when you experience microgravity. Every movement and the way objects behave completely changes. When you find yourself walking in the void you need to keep all your senses alert: every second is very intense".
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